Chuck Seiler

It is the "SAN SALVADOR" from the San Diego Maritime Museum. Below i a picture after construction but before commissioning. Here is a link to the site. https://sdmaritime.org/visit/the-ships/san-salvador/

I found that padauk wood also makes a reasonably good brick. I used it on my scratch PHILADELPHIA for the hearth.

That's about right. They were not all that roomy and the folks were smaller then. Movie and TV depictions are bad examples because they often build the sets overly large to accommodate the film crews, cameras and comfort of the actors. IIRC, the BOUNTY used for the 1960s movie was 1.5 times the size of the real BOUNTY. That is also the reason why, unlike the army, the British navy never stands when they make a toast. Tradition. Back in the day, if you stood in the wardroom or great cabin, you may end up whackin' your head on some beam or overhead object.

The whole gundeck area.

As I recall, the flue on HMS Surprise in San Diego has the angled cap with a damper that can be open and closed. Also recalled is that the cap has handles so you can remove or move the cap. A docent once told me that it was so the cap could be pointed downwind to keep drafts from blowing into the flue.

You can get a 1/8 inch replacement leg. That's .125" wide...at least it WAS until I started using it on smaller stuff. Now mine is .06 wide at the bottom. :-)

Dave, For the Byrne's Saw, the zero clearance insert is easy. Jim sells blank aluminum inserts that you install with the saw blade down. You slowly raise the blade and, viola!!!, zero clearance insert. The beauty is that you can make one for each blade size. I am sure you could do it with the Dremel as well if you can find or make the correct size blanks. I have also seen people use the appropriate thickness airplane model grade plywood.

I use it and I find it quite helpful. My 1/8" attachment is a bit thinner than 1/8" these days, however.

In my opinion, that which makes a log good also makes it hard to keep up. I have often gotten bogged down on a model because I am taking so much time and effort to get pictures at the right point, get thoughts on paper and compile a good post. I don't know if that ever came through in my logs, but I tried. Here is what I think makes a good post: Explain what you are doing as you go along. Looking at pictures of how your model is progressing is nice, but looking at the process you are using to get to that point is even better. How did you make that thingamabob? What problems are you having? Detailed info on how you make something can be enlightening. There is a fine line between going into TOO much detail and no enough. I have seen things that I have tried to make many times and I cannot get them to look that good. How did you do it? I guess that is what IMs are for. A lot of pictures. Close ups, full model, different angles, high resolution. The latter is important particularly when illustrating a lot of detail. I find it frustrating to click on a photo to blow it up, only to find it is not very large or poor quality. My rule of thumb when I was a newsletter editor was I should be able to expand the photo to 200% and still get good detail. Different angles are good. I have been trying to find some shots of where the wales come together at the bow, both sides. I cannot find many. Most shots are of one side or the other, but not both. Same goes for other areas we don't normally see. In my opinion, a very good example of a good build log is Dan Vadas' "VULTURE" log. PS. His VULTURE cross section isn't bad either.

Random thoughts after having looked at the list. Some are repeats, but important. Clamps. You can never have too many, but you can have the wrong ones. Small pinchy ones, large clampy ones. As you work on your model you will find ones that work well in various scenarios. If you are working with woods like basswood, be careful about having too much spring. It could damage the wood. My experience is the best clamps are the ones at the ends of your arms...but I only have 2 of those. Be careful not to superglue those to your model. Sandpaper. One secret to a good model is a good finish. The secret to a good finish is a smooth faring and sanding. In addition to the 60-100 and 120-200 range, get some fine paper...300, 400, 1000 for finishing the model, even if painting. Check out Chuck Passaro's WINCHELSEA log regarding paint finishes. Hairdryer. Use the hairdryer to dry or form the plank while it is in the bending jig. It speeds things up. Scalpels. ...and when you start going with larger tools, Mini table saw and mini disk sander. I find them invaluable. Personally, I have the Byrnes Saw and the Byrnes Disk Sander (no affiliation, just happy customer). And don't forget the clamps.

Passion and desire....which I guess it the same. When we (San Diego Ship Modelers Guild) man a booth in the county fair each year, the #3 question/statement (behind "Where is the restroom?" and "Is that a pirate ship?" but ahead of "How do you put a ship in a bottle?") is "That must take alot of patience." My answer to that is 'patience runs out. desire keeps you going.' There are times when you get tired of working on it. Frustrated with it. Stumped by a particular process. Desire and passion brings you back. ...and you get to wear Hawaiian shirts at the formal NRG dinners.

My goal is to develop the skills so that one (or more) of the models I build will be on somebody's mantle in 100 years. The rate I am going, I might still be building it in 99 years, but.... Having said that, I get a lot of satisfaction learning, buying tools, upgrading my skills, buying tools and building the smaller models. As indicated in some of the above posts, working on and completing simpler models such as PHILADELPHIA, SULTAN, Sharpie Schooner, or dozens of others is quite rewarding and leads to more involvement. Working on, screwing up and stalling on the big guys like CONSTITUTION is frustrating and leads to leaving the hobby. True, there are some people that can do a bang-up job on a CONNY the first time out, but that is few and far between. As Dirty Harry says, a man has got to know his limitations. Definitely traipse on down to the CONNY and visit/join the model club there. A club is a valuable resource for information and inspiration. Say hello to Bob Riddoch for me. Hopefully you will also get to get involved in projects or public interaction like we do here in the San Diego guild. Go to the local/area/regional model shows and conferences. When I seem to be flagging, seeing what other people are doing really gets the juices flowing again. Check out the clubs section on this site. The NRG shindig is in San Diego this year. You are more than welcome to come, but if that is too far of a trek, it will be back on that OTHER side of the country next year (probably)...or at least closer to you (unless Kurt has plans for Hawaii). And remember...you can never have too many clamps.

There are several good build logs for PHILADELPHIA. Plus, you can visit the actual ship in the Smithsonian.

DOH!!!!! How about a video? Hold the wedding in San Diego? Change the date of the NRG Conference?

You will be giving the Painting Tech Session at the 2016 NRG Conference, correct? <plz plz plz>

I agree with Joel (jbshan) that it would be unlikley you would be able to see the plugs in the scale you are working. Gunther's photos show a wide range of contrast, but in scale you are only looking at from about an inch away. When looking at a 3/16 scale model from 3 feet away, you are looking from almost 200 scale feet away. For those of you going to the NRG Conference in San Diego in October, look at the deck of SURPRISE or CALIFORNIAN from the upper deck of BERKELEY to gt a better perspective.

Looks a bit large for a brig.

I normally go with holly with either "Natural" stain finish or wipe on poly. Recently I saw a model using beech for decking. It looked good...scale oak appearance. .

I think it is because they have a few moments to take in the entire model, whereas you have had hours to create, then agonize over that mistake (and the 3 mistakes you made trying to correct the one mistake). I look at my PHILADELPHIA model and look at the many rope coils. A casual observer would say "Wow! A lot of rope coils" and move on. I will look at it and remember how THAT coil took 3 tries to make. THAT coil replaced the one I made and somehow lost. THAT coil I accidentally glued to my finger.

Roger, Well said. You are EXPECTED to make mistakes on your first one, that's why is should be something like the Virginia Pilot Boat (or whatever is on sale). I have had several early models where I have essentially made twice. Build a part, throw it away, build it again. Build an assembly, tear it apart, build it again. The value is in the learning.

Mike, As an onlooker, I would second Cathead's opinion that scratchbuilding would be a good next step. I recommend FAR WEST. It is a simple Missouri River boat with alot of history.

I would not recommend this. I believe I would have been ill served if I had been forced to go into the kiddies pool until I learned how to swim when I first signed aboard. Being able to see the various levels of accomplishment helped highlight what I was getting into and let me know there were many like me. Meanwhile it also gave me a goal to strive for. Looking at the build logs of some of the more accomplished modelers helped me learn the terminology and gave me an appreciation for the quality that could be achieved. I was also able to take away little pieces of "how to do it". I may not be able to build a whole model like a master, but I can plank like one (that's my story and I'm sticking to it), or I can paint like one, or make thingamabobs like one. Throwing out a question while bobbing around in the main pool ensures that everybody sees it. If there was just a beginners section, the question might only be seen by other beginners and those veterans who might specifically be there to do some mentoring. I see nothing wrong with the way it is now. Just my 2 euro's worth.

Jud, I strongly disagree. I take Chris' original post for what it is, a warning. I provide the same warning anytime I speak to a perspective modeler, whether it be at a club meeting or at our Ship Modeling booth at the county fair. Most people don't realize how difficult building a wooden ship is and how many sub-skills need to be developed before you can do a bang up job on a complicated model. As seasoned modelers, we owe it to them to give them reasonable advice.

What kind of wood are you working with?

I am not sure if it is relevant to the discussion, but I wanted to point out that it is not the weight of the anchor which secures the ship. Rather, it is the flukes of the anchor digging into the seabed (or lakebed) that does the work. The cable is paid out to allow the anchor to lay almost horizontal...the design of the anchor does the rest. When the anchor is set, hauling the anchor in does not bring the anchor to the ship. It brings the ship to the anchor. Once the cable is up and down the flukes break free from the bottom and the anchor can be raised. Sailing or driving the ship to the anchor allows the cable to slacken and puts less strain on the cable.